


to whom old men hearkened when he was young

by DidiNyx



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguity, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Hurt No Comfort, Introspection, Poetic, Pre-Canon, honestly VERY VERY vent worthy, i've been saying octavian rights since 2011, literally been forever since i've associated with the fandom so be gentle, tbh didn't even know yall were so active-
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 17:57:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20821466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DidiNyx/pseuds/DidiNyx
Summary: Octavian bore the liberty-- and burden-- that was prophecy. On one hand, it gave him high status and even just a glimpse of hope that he'd make it big when physique and natural gusto simply wasn't in his cards. On the other, it sure did wreck the brain. Prophecy defied logic, had no sense of rationality at times and didn't give a damn about feelings or perceptions. It simply was. It lived, breathed and died depending on whoever had the future in their hands. And yes, it did make you mad. Cautious. Terrified.Important.





	to whom old men hearkened when he was young

**Author's Note:**

> so for my friends who don't know anything about the riordanverse seeing stuff about the gods on my page is going to be very weird haha
> 
> so i've been holding these thoughts in ever since i read the son of neptune (it's been years, i mean the whole riordanverse was my 1st fandom WOW), and honestly after so long of not really understanding exactly why i had a soft spot for this sadist (and a lot of fans questioning me, naturally) i decided to write this. it's a lot shorter than what i /could/ make... like i could really make this into a big deal if i had motivation and time... but this will have to do for now. i'm obviously not saying he's a good character (role model OR in a storytelling perspective) but it's been too long of unanswered questions and ignorant hate so let me go off
> 
> Let me just put this excerpt from this amino discussion linked below that will really get ya thinking:
> 
> "Octavian is misguided. He is narcissistic. He is violent. He desires power. But some of the greatest leaders in history were all these and more. Heracles, Achilles, Ajax, Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Jason, Cleopatra, Napoleon, Vlad the Impaler, Thomas freaking Jefferson for crying out loud!! And that's what Octavian WAS, mind you: a brilliant leader, blinded by power, driven by desperation, and manipulated by one of the most powerful cosmic beings in Riordanverse lore."
> 
> i wouldn't necessarily say powerful but he's definitely iconic (in the most notorious way you can think of). definitely deserved more of an exploration into his character

DUST HAS A WAY of proving antiquity, its marble glimmering in a stunning yet deceptive way. The looming aqueducts, the grand Colosseum, the temples of worship. It all seemed very fantastical, right out of a book. In this case, Octavian wouldn't dare lose it, unlike the Sibylline books of yore. He'd grasp onto it violently, with his small hands, for it was all he could wish to know. It had been preached within Camp Jupiter how indescribably worthy the values of ancient Rome were, and anyone who dared defy the reason of priests and soldiers were just as bad as the city's slums and the poor untouchables that used to inhabit those areas. Nameless, insignificant. Not possible to love or be valued. It's what Octavian believed he feared the most, being tossed to the side like a fool. Even the bloodbath and cruelty of man seemed like a lighter topic when his reputation was involved, because at least in death he'd die a noble.

Nobility was always glorious. Status was always praised. You were either born into it or died honorably enough for the wealthy to declare you noble in death. Hell, war was so fascinating and wonderful to the people that even if they saw thousands of their men rotting in the battlefields with even more flies to accompany them, there'd still be the old school veterans and the naive boys in training that talk about how war was incredibly justified. It is simple logic, they argued, it was completely rational, even if a little insane. 

Luckily, Octavian was born into this prestigious, ideal form and essence of the worthy. He was part of Augusts's bloodline, his parents one of the wealthiest in Camp Jupiter, claimed by Apollo at a very young age. Deemed a prophet. Apparently the gift of prophecy had run in the family but went barren for a few generations. Livia and Justus had another kid for the sole purpose of providing the camp with a special somebody to read the omens, to make sure the camp was guaranteed safe. It was the same superstition and propaganda that dictated Rome more so than the cursed line of kings the city would later overthrow and create anew. 

Octavian bore the liberty-- and burden-- that was prophecy. On one hand, it gave him high status and even just a glimpse of hope that he'd make it big when physique and natural gusto simply wasn't in his cards. On the other, it sure did wreck the brain. Prophecy defied logic, had no sense of rationality at times and didn't give a damn about feelings or perceptions. It simply was. It lived, breathed and died depending on whoever had the future in their hands. And yes, it did make you mad. Cautious. Terrified.

Important.

Just as important when Apollo claimed him and that harp symbol was burned into his flesh. Just as important when he learned about the Sibyl books and felt it in his soul that he needed to find them, to restore them. Just as important as when, to prove he had the drive of a soldier, he drove the sharpest knife his eyes ever seen into a mere toy an old man gave him one random night during a ceremony. That was his own symbol, a loss of innocence and a new commitment to kill without hesitation, even if your heart screamed _no_ and unmanly tears dared run down such hollow cheeks. 

He was hit, spat on, taunted, and snapped at by adults who saw has as a pity project of two parents desperate for some fresh money and news coverage. He wasn't strong, didn't act too smart, and goddamn those annoying stammers! If you're to be our special little savior, how come you can't fight? You were claimed by Apollo but he must have wasted his breath. No, you had to try a little harder. Darling, you had to be braver than that if you want to live. 

Killing came easy to those doomed to fail, he'd guess.

The toy-- a soft little bear-- had deep black eyes and a button nose. It fit perfectly in Octavian's scrawny arms. It amused him when the lectures of war had already been drilled into his head over and over without stopping. It was a sense of comfort, something soft and affectionate to the touch.

And he murdered it like he was supposed to do. 

**Author's Note:**

> the title comes from a quote from emperor Augustus (formerly named Octavian, in case you didn't know, so that's why it's relevant lol). i used to be OBSESSED with ancient rome. what's interesting to me that, like Octavian, Augustus in a lot of texts seem righteous but when you look deeper into Rome's history you realize... oh shit... he's Very Questionable, which WOULD be a big Duh Moment but STILL. it crushed my little child dreams. (Book is by historian Mary Beard, she does an AMAZING job of reconstructing your perspective of ancient Rome as a whole... i mean there are some critiques to be made but still.)
> 
> This actually explains to me why Rick decided to make a character THAT "shitty" be named after a supposedly Great Leader. ANYWAYS. Back to the more relevant stuff
> 
> https://aminoapps.com/c/halfblood/page/blog/thoughts-on-octavian-a-very-late-rant/pXg1_VxXuQuEXRo80QNX178dgkeV8Z1zJzq <-- This inspired me to write this whole thing. I was comparing my general love of blond psychos and realized SHIT the first blond psycho I loved was Octavian, BUT WHY?? I legit knew I saw a different perspective about him but I lost how I was so passionate about him anyway. Until I read that.
> 
> I just want to add 2 things:
> 
> -About the killing Gwen thing, y'all need to keep in mind that Octavian is weak as fuck. Look, Percy is strong and all but the book goes out of its way to show how Not Good At Combat/generally scrawny Octavian really is, so tell me how the hell he killed Gwen so easily WITHOUT ANY SUSPICION. And as the discussion mentions, this is FRANK'S POV. He WANTS to put the blame on Octavian, he's biased. Because he /doesn't like him/.
> 
> -I always liked Octavian's little HUMANIZED moments?? like people focus so much on the sadist tendencies/antics (which YES I KNOW IT'S NOT A GOOD THING I AM NOT SAYING IT IS) that they don't talk about how easily embarrassed Octavian gets... AND WHEN HE TOLD MARS-- A LITERAL GOD-- "wait that can't be a propechy IT DOESN'T RHYME" ...it's a small thing but it came across as kinda endearing?? My point is Octavian had such a quick "He's Not A Big Deal Don't Listen To Him" to OH SHIT HE'S ABOUT TO KILL US like. No development. No explanation as to WHY he's the way he is.
> 
> I know Riordan was balancing all the other characters and the whole story blah blah blah but for a character who was literally Trying To Kill People, highly associated with the new camp introduced AND ended up being one of the reasons EVERYONE LIVED TO BEGIN WITH (ironically) it's weird how no one fucking takes him seriously in the fandom and hoenstly in general. He was mentioned like twice or something in Trials of Apollo (gave up on it, the tags are clickbait) but it was Apollo talking shit about him. His own god fam relation. No actual conclusion.
> 
> Like.... what???
> 
> anyway my final thoughts are: octavian just needed genuine love, hugs and plenty of stuffed animals. (ha) and for the 99.9% of the fandom that Doesn't Understand him... please, just consider-


End file.
